Police are investigating at least £500,000 in donations made to Reform UK by Fiona Cottrell, the mother of convicted fraudster George Cottrell, according to reports.
The inquiry, first reported by The Times, has reportedly been underway for more than a year and is being handled by the Metropolitan Police.
A spokesperson for the force confirmed that two individuals have been interviewed under caution, while stressing that no arrests have been made.
Reform UK sources insist that none of the party’s officials have been questioned by detectives.
The investigation is focused on allegations that donations may have been concealed or disguised as coming from an “impermissible” donor, or that “false” information was provided about the amount or identity of a donor.
According to The Times, the probe centres on two separate £250,000 donations Fiona Cottrell made to Reform UK before the 2024 general election.
The first payment was recorded in the party’s accounts on May 9, 2024, while the second was registered on May 29, just weeks before voters went to the polls. Both donations appear in Electoral Commission records.
The election saw Reform UK leader Nigel Farage win a seat in Parliament for the first time.
The newspaper reported that Fiona Cottrell’s late husband, Mark Cottrell, who died in 2023, left an estate worth about £1.5 million. Fiona Cottrell has described herself as a retired stylist.
BBC News said it had contacted Fiona Cottrell for comment.
The distinction between “permissible” and “impermissible” donors was introduced under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000, which bars political parties from accepting foreign funding.
Under the law, political donations can only be accepted from permissible donors, including individuals listed on the UK electoral register and companies registered in the UK.
The latest development follows a report by The Sunday Times, which alleged that George Cottrell financed staff and security for Farage before the 2024 general election, with those benefits allegedly not declared after Farage became an MP.
George Cottrell has been a long-time political and personal associate of Farage. He pleaded guilty to fraud in the United States, where he served eight months in prison before being released in 2017.
After returning to the UK, he dated reality television personality Georgia Toffolo, winner of I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here.
The Sunday Times also reported that he later relocated to Montenegro, where he became a “key player” in Tether.bet, an online gambling platform that allows high-stakes betting on sports and politics using cash or cryptocurrency.
Lawyers representing George Cottrell said he “categorically disputes allegations and assertions made by the Sunday Times” regarding claims that he financially supported Farage.
Farage has rejected any suggestion of wrongdoing, maintaining that he was not required to declare the benefits because they were unrelated to his political activities.
The Guardian previously reported that Fiona Cottrell donated £1 million in June 2024 to Britain Means Business, a think tank owned by Reform UK’s deputy leader Richard Tice.
Electoral Commission records also show that Britain Means Business donated £500,000 to Reform UK during the same month.
It remains unclear whether that donation also forms part of the Metropolitan Police investigation.
The inquiry comes as Farage is already facing scrutiny over his personal finances. He is currently under investigation by Parliament’s standards watchdog over an undeclared £5 million payment he received before the 2024 general election from cryptocurrency billionaire and Reform donor Christopher Harborne.
Farage has insisted the payment was an unconditional personal gift and therefore did not need to be declared to parliamentary authorities.
Earlier this week, Farage resigned as MP for Clacton, triggering what he described as a “people versus the establishment” by-election, which he intends to contest.
Richard Tice told Times Radio he had known the Cottrell family “for 50 years” and dismissed the allegations as “a politically motivated smear campaign”.
Approached by the BBC, a spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Police said: “An investigation was launched in February 2025 after a referral was made to the Metropolitan Police by the Electoral Commission relating to donations made to a political party ahead of the 2024 UK General Election.”
She added, “Detectives from the Met’s Special Enquiry Team are investigating alleged offences under Section 61 of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000.
“Early investigative advice has been sought from the Crown Prosecution Service and two people have so far been interviewed under caution. No arrests have been made.
“An offence under this section is not one that the Electoral Commission can investigate and, as such, it is a matter for the police.”
The Electoral Commission told the BBC: “The Metropolitan Police Service have issued a statement about an on-going police investigation. We have no further comment.”
